Dishonoring the Memory of Rav Kook ZT"L
It was all over the news a little over a month ago...bowing to pressures from the Hareidi community, Prime Minister Netanyahu cancelled the agreements for a mixed-gender prayer space at the Kotel. At the same time, a Hareidi-backed bill to give the Chief Rabbinate a total monopoly on conversions was approved for consideration by the Knesset.
Both of these things are, in and of themselves, rampant examples of the sinat chinam that continues to prevent the coming of Mashiach, and therefore appropriate topics for today, Tisha B'Av. But there was something that bothered me more, a few days later.
As reported in the Jerusalem Post, A group of Rabbis from the "conservative wing of the national-religious community" wrote an open letter to Netanyahu supporting the decisions and calling them "courageous!"
The guiding light of the National Religious (or dati leumi or Religious Zionist) movement is the teachings of HaRav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, ZT"L.
Rav Kook was an inclusionist. He worked with the Hareidim, the Dati Leumi, the non-religious, and even the vehemently anti-religious. No, he didn't necessarily approve of some of their lifestyles...but his emphasis was on spreading Torah and bringing people closer...not pushing them away.
In fact, he was extremely upset by Hareidi exclusionism. In the Chizuk & Idud article by Rav Yerachmiel Roness in the Parshat Pinchas issue of Torah Tidbits this year, he tells of Rav Kook's visit to America in 1924, where he met with the Aguda. One of the American Rabbis told him that instead of outreach towards the 'blasphemous sinners', Rav Kook should emulate Pinchas...which presumably meant going around killing chalutzim.
Rav Kook got tears in his eyes and said, "Eliyahu HaNavi thought he too could be like Pinchas - did you learn from what happened to him?" The explanation in the article, from Rav Zev Gold, is that Eliyahu felt he was all alone, like Pinchas, and in so doing he accused all B'nei Yisrael...and HaShem immediately told him to appoint Elisha as his replacement.
The actions of the Rabbanut are exclusionary, reeking with sinat chinam, and not in accordance or sometimes in direct violation of Halacha. The statements made by them and some of their supporters against non-religious Jews are in direct violation of the principle "Af al pi she'chata, Yisrael hu." Even though he sins, he is still a Jew.
Rav Kook would NOT approve. And if someone who says he is a follower of Rav Kook supports those actions of the Rabbanut, they are dishonoring his memory, and they are no longer Dati Leumi in my eyes.
Both of these things are, in and of themselves, rampant examples of the sinat chinam that continues to prevent the coming of Mashiach, and therefore appropriate topics for today, Tisha B'Av. But there was something that bothered me more, a few days later.
As reported in the Jerusalem Post, A group of Rabbis from the "conservative wing of the national-religious community" wrote an open letter to Netanyahu supporting the decisions and calling them "courageous!"
The guiding light of the National Religious (or dati leumi or Religious Zionist) movement is the teachings of HaRav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, ZT"L.
Rav Kook was an inclusionist. He worked with the Hareidim, the Dati Leumi, the non-religious, and even the vehemently anti-religious. No, he didn't necessarily approve of some of their lifestyles...but his emphasis was on spreading Torah and bringing people closer...not pushing them away.
In fact, he was extremely upset by Hareidi exclusionism. In the Chizuk & Idud article by Rav Yerachmiel Roness in the Parshat Pinchas issue of Torah Tidbits this year, he tells of Rav Kook's visit to America in 1924, where he met with the Aguda. One of the American Rabbis told him that instead of outreach towards the 'blasphemous sinners', Rav Kook should emulate Pinchas...which presumably meant going around killing chalutzim.
Rav Kook got tears in his eyes and said, "Eliyahu HaNavi thought he too could be like Pinchas - did you learn from what happened to him?" The explanation in the article, from Rav Zev Gold, is that Eliyahu felt he was all alone, like Pinchas, and in so doing he accused all B'nei Yisrael...and HaShem immediately told him to appoint Elisha as his replacement.
The actions of the Rabbanut are exclusionary, reeking with sinat chinam, and not in accordance or sometimes in direct violation of Halacha. The statements made by them and some of their supporters against non-religious Jews are in direct violation of the principle "Af al pi she'chata, Yisrael hu." Even though he sins, he is still a Jew.
Rav Kook would NOT approve. And if someone who says he is a follower of Rav Kook supports those actions of the Rabbanut, they are dishonoring his memory, and they are no longer Dati Leumi in my eyes.
posted by meturgeman | 6:10 PM
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